Hopefully I can add a photo to this post later. My camera just died a sudden death, a camera that I had purchased with a $100 gift card given to me as a wedding gift from the school where I worked, which I bought a few months after we were married. I bought a Nikon, thinking this was the best and that it would last a while. I was wrong.
Thankfully, my new smartphone has a nice camera, but the back of the phone is very hard to take off, the part where the battery and memory card sit. So uploading photos is bound to be a pain in the neck, since the way I do it is by inserting my memory card straight into the computer.
Anyway, tangent.
I cannot believe I hit the twenty-five week mark this past Sunday, leaving me with only fifteen to go. It's funny how I am not nearly as anxious this time around as when I was pregnant with Caleb. With the exception of being physically uncomfortable, I am in no hurry. Caleb is a lot of work, I still have tons I want to do around the house, and taking care of two sounds like an impossible load right now. I am content to wait. For now.
All was well until a couple of weeks ago, then the pains began. I've had lots of back ache this time around, whereas with Caleb I did not. No doubt, it is due to my severe scoliosis, combined with having to pick up a toddler on a regular basis. Yes, he walks, but I still must pick him up to wrangle him in his car seat, pick him up to put him in a shopping cart, lift him to put him in his high chair, and lift him in and out of his crib. Yikes. My back has been killing me, and I feel like an old lady. Thank the good Lord, my chiropractor's office is literally right outside our community... no more than a three minute drive down the street. Aside from co-payments, it is a breeze to go.
My heels have also started to hurt, no doubt to the extra weight. I'm either going to purchase some Dr. Scholl's cushions, or buy a new pair of sneakers to wear around the house. It is especially painful when I'm cooking in the kitchen, standing on hard floor.
Sleeping is an unpleasant task. I'm normally a stomach sleeper- I sleep on my stomach all night and don't budge- when I'm not pregnant. Obviously, that's out of the question. Pregnant women are warned everywhere to not sleep on their backs because the weight of the baby cuts off a major artery, thus harming both mom and baby. That leaves the sides. I am a terrible side sleeper- have always been. I remember talking about this very thing years ago, long before I was married or pregnant, with my brother's mother-in-law. (I have no idea how we ever got on this topic.) I remember saying that I didn't know what to do with my arms if I try to sleep on my side. She chuckled and said, "You take them off!" I wish I could! I ALWAYS end up laying on my arms, losing blood flow, and waking up only to fling my arm over the side of the bed, shaking the life back into it. Of course, sleep is always interrupted due to having to use the restroom, because that's all a part of being pregnant!
Caleb is also getting a lot more physical these days, and I have to constantly watch my belly to keep from getting pummeled. He has a soft, tender side, but he also has a wild side, and I am usually the recipient of it. He has gotten into the hitting stage, not even merely when he is mad, just for "fun". He has surprisingly good aim when it comes to throwing balls, and let's just say my poor face and neck have taken a beating.
I don't really get any food cravings, other than having to purchase one box of Raisinets from the grocery store each week. I don't eat them all at once, but in handfuls throughout the week. (I wanted them last pregnancy, too.) I have found a delicious egg-free mayonnaise so I can enjoy things like egg salad, and that has made a big difference.
I feel huge already, which is a wonder being that I have fifteen weeks to go. I do not look forward to the stifling days of summer with a huge belly. My mom had two summer babies. I don't know how she did it.
In spite of all the pregnancy woes I am either hating now or dreading to come, I do look forward to meeting our new little one. It's going to be weird having two children. From what I hear other moms saying, the shift from one to two is hard, but from two to three is easy. There is something about being so used to one, that it is difficult getting used to two. I know Caleb will probably go through a jealousy stage, because he is pretty attached to me. (He truly follows me around the house wherever I go.) But I also know our second child will be worth all the bother, just as Caleb was and is. We do look forward to being a family of four. Four! Can you believe it?
(Side note: Brian proposed to me four years ago today! I doubt we could have pictured this then!)
I will update with a pregnancy photo later this week! (Hopefully.)
